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Lambda Legal announced today that Brian J. Richardson, former Deputy Commissioner of the City of Chicago Department of Health, has been named Lambda Legal’s Midwest Regional Director, based in Chicago.

“We are delighted that Brian has chosen to bring his energy and expertise to Lambda Legal and look forward to the leadership he will provide across the Midwest,” Lambda Legal Interim CEO Richard Burns said. “Our hard-won civil rights are under attack from many directions, so we need a strong presence in homes across the heartland. With his experience, Brian will allow us to expand our reach and remain vigilant.”

“I am thrilled to join the Lambda Legal team to build on decades of work winning greater equality for LGBTQ people and everyone living with HIV,” Richardson said. “To be clear, the progress we have won is under assault as LGBTQ people continue to face discrimination under the law. We must redouble our efforts at the state level and through the courts to both preserve our hard won gains and also move all communities and states further towards justice.”

Richardson’s career spans the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. In addition to serving as Deputy Commissioner and Director of Public Affairs for the Chicago Department of Health, he was a communications manager at Google, served as press secretary for former U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) and was Director of Specialty Media for the Democratic National Committee. He served on the senior leadership team of the Center on Halsted, Chicago’s LGBT community center, and on the Board of Directors of the ACLU of Illinois.

In 2015, Richardson was a fellow of Harvard University’s National Preparedness Leadership Institute and in 2018 was a fellow at the University of Chicago’s Civic Leadership Academy.

Richardson earned his MBA from the University of California, Berkeley and his bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago.

As Midwest Regional Director, Richardson will oversee programming and outreach efforts in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, and North and South Dakota.